Two decades left to ski

Within two decades global warming could close ski resorts in the Alps and the Rockies

The family ski holiday could become a fond memory within two decades as global warming closes ski resorts in the Alps and the Rockies. According to research published today, lowlying resorts such as Kitzböhel, in Austria, and Whistler, in Canada, face closure by 2025, and 40% of Alpine ski stations will see no snow at all by 2030.

The report's author, Bill McGuire, director of the Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre, said that temperatures in the Alps have increased by 2C since the 1970s, adding: "Those lucky enough to be able to afford skiing in the restricted winter resort environments of 2030 will face increased risk from severe weather phenomena and unpredictable conditions. Unless urgent action is taken to combat the effects of climate change, the family skiing holiday could be consigned to the annals of history in less than a quarter of a century."